Khabonina Qubeka is a ball of energy.
She’s the kind of character you can’t meet up with when your energies are low or when self-pity is having the better of you.
You also cannot spend four hours talking fitness and wellness with this star without going back to do a food audit in your fridge and grocery cupboard, as well as make an effort to be active throughout the day.
There are certain things in life that cannot be feigned, and authenticity is one of them. Luckily, this is a trait the 38-year-old Isidingo actress possesses in truck loads. Street smart and always true to herself, our entire conversation was peppered with the type of township slang that warmed my heart and transported me back to the streets that raised me. Okay, enough with the sentimental talk.
READ MORE | Khabonina's tips on getting a flat tummy in a week
Khabonina’s passion for exercising dates back to her primary school days, when the popular morning news and lifestyle show, Good Morning South Africa, had a regular aerobics segment, which she loved dancing along to.
“I remember my mom gently shouting, ‘Baby, baby vuka! Nayi iBody Beat’,” she recalls.
This inclination towards body movements sparked her fascination with biology in high school.
She shares her top wellness tips with us:
1. I don’t subscribe to the idea of discipline. I just think that it implies that I’m imprisoning myself. What works better for me is being true to myself.
2. The only validation I need is from myself. I refuse to live my life adjusting my body to whatever body shape is popular.
3. I never compromise on self. And that also includes eating good food.
4. Water is endless. I don’t mean to be deep about it, but water is life.
5. I will never make another human being feel small. I have been in that position and it is painful to go through.
6. I believe in prayer. I do it any and everywhere.
This article first appeared in the TRUELOVE Body issue.
